How to recognize and recover from everyday sociopaths - narcissists

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Internet Dating Predators — seduction, confusion and escape

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Editor's Note: With poignant honesty, Roxanne Wheaton tells her tale of being targeted and swindled by a man she met online. Writing her book with the benefit of hindsight, she explains what the predator was really doing as the story unfolds. Roxanne’s insight will help anyone who suspects they may also be dating a con artist to see clearly what is hidden. Her courage will help others escape and recover. Why I wrote Internet Dating Predators By Roxanne Wheaton   In 2007, I was completing the final course for my Master of Education degree and looking forward to having more time to enjoy life and reconnect with friends. In my early forties, I also decided to try online …

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Is Elizabeth Holmes intentionally deceptive?

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Elizabeth Holmes was a 19-year-old Stanford University dropout in 2003 when she founded a company called Theranos. With a goal of revolutionizing the blood-testing industry, she raised $900 million from investors, and the company was eventually valued at $9 billion. Elizabeth was touted as the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire.  But the Theranos technology never worked as advertised. In 2022, Elizabeth was convicted of defrauding investors.  I was vaguely familiar with this backstory when I watched the new documentary about her called, You Can See Everything. Audiences are buzzing about the movie — some say it should be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and a …

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Why psychologists’ explanations of antisocial behavior are all wrong

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Why do narcissists, psychopaths and other disordered individuals lie, cheat, manipulate and exploit? Psychology experts typically tell us that they engage in antisocial behavior because they lack empathy and impulse control. In a new video series, the Lovefraud author Dr. Liane Leedom explains why the experts are wrong. The series is called Antisocial Motivation. Each month, Dr. Liane Leedom, a psychiatrist and professor of counseling at the University of Bridgeport, explains an aspect of her research on human social behavioral systems and how they are affected by psychopathy. Her views are published in a peer-reviewed book entitled, Psychopathy — New Updates on an Old …

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I was almost scammed on Facebook Marketplace

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Wow! Internet con artists sure are slick. I was almost scammed on Facebook Marketplace last weekend while selling a few vintage dresses. As you know, I am extremely well-informed about psychopaths and their tactics. The scammers used all the standard con artist tricks. Yet the ploy was difficult to see while I was in the middle of it.  I’m sharing this story so you can see how easy it is to get caught up in a scammer’s manipulation. Here’s what happened. I posted multiple items for sale on Facebook Marketplace for family members, including five vintage dresses that belonged to my stepmother. I priced the dresses at $25 each. I was not expecting any interest in them, so you can …

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After 30 years with a sociopath, can Tapping help me recover?

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If you’ve spent 20, 30 or even more years married to a sociopath, you probably feel like the life has been sucked out of you. But I assure you, even after years of narcissistic abuse, EFT Tapping can help you recover.  I’m writing this story in response to a request from a Lovefraud Live! viewer. She posted the following question on my video, Sociopaths exploit everyone in their lives: Would like to know how tapping would help the effects of having lived with a sociopathic husband for 30 years?     What took so long? I’ve heard from hundreds of people in this situation — long-term marriages with someone whom they finally realized was a sociopath. …

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‘Codependents Awake’ invites readers to question what they once called love

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Editor’s Note: Eleanor Cowan, author of "A History of a Pedophile's Wife" and a Lovefraud contributor, has just published her new book, "Codependents Awake." Through 12 intimate, sometimes painful, and often hopeful true stories, Eleanor Cowan explores the patterns that keep people bound to harmful relationships, the moments that bring those patterns into view, and the courage required to begin living differently. Why I Wrote Codependents Awake By Eleanor Cowan One morning in July 2026, I found myself thinking about Mia, a young woman who had given me a lift home from an art group the night before. Halfway through the drive, she told me she admired my peacefulness and thought I …

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Wealthy NYC widow claims gigolo scammed her for nearly $6 million

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A wealthy, heartbroken widow from New York City claimed she was scammed out of nearly $6 million by a male escort in a lawsuit filed last week in Manhattan Supreme Court. Marianne Flippo, 49, claimed in court filings that Gregg Starr, a male escort with ice-blue eyes and six-pack abs, professed his love for her in an attempt to swindle $10 million. He succeeded in getting $5.95 million, she alleged in the lawsuit, and she wanted it back. Grieving widow Marianne was widowed when she lost her husband, Chad. They were childhood sweethearts — Marianne had known him since she was 13 years old. They were married for 28 years and had three children.  Chad made a fortune by …

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This molecule gets you in and out of trouble with abusers

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You’re probably here at Lovefraud because you trusted a narcissist, antisocial or psychopath and got burned. How did this happen? A specific molecule in your brain and body called oxytocin had a lot to do with why you got in trouble. Surprisingly, the same molecule helps you recover from the devastation. Why am I talking about biology and neuroscience on Lovefraud? To help you understand that biological imperatives have a lot to do with why you got involved, or stayed involved, with the sociopath. And, to inspire you to use the same biology and neuroscience to recover from the trauma. Oxytocin, bonding and trust Dr. Liane Leedom first wrote about oxytocin on Lovefraud in 2008. She …

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Trauma capsules — your protection from childhood fear and pain

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If you’re a kid growing up in a frightening or abusive environment, how do you survive? You dissociate. When your parents or other family members mistreat you, and running away is not an option, you escape mentally and emotionally. You stuff your painful experiences into “trauma capsules” and bury them somewhere in your subconscious, where they’re out of mind but still affecting your life. As part of my training in Clinical EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques), I learned about trauma capsules. They explain so much of what I’ve heard from people who were manipulated and exploited by sociopaths. Trauma capsules form when children experience events so disturbing that kids can’t …

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To Mom and Dad: 9 reasons why your son or daughter fell for a sociopath

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UPDATED FOR 2026 To the Mom and Dad of a Lovefraud Target, Your son or daughter has now come to the brutal realization that the entire relationship was a scam. Perhaps you've had your suspicions for a while. Perhaps you've even tried to tell your kid that the partner was no good, but he or she wouldn't listen to you. Now everything has collapsed, and you can't understand why your son or daughter didn't see it coming. Please understand that sociopaths are professional con artists, and they are really, really good at what they do. In fact, they spend their entire lives perfecting their craft. Following are nine reasons why your son or daughter fell for it. 1. Your son or …

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